TheÂ Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) today announced the expansion of itsÂ mentorship program to include student entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence by reaching the finals of the EOÂ Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) competition. Thirty finalists in the 2013 EO GSEA competition will be enrolled in the mentoring program which, as part of the expansion, seeks to match corporate skills-based volunteers from global organizations with local students who run scalable businesses.

EO has been building the world’s most influential community of entrepreneurs for more than 25 years, and is committed to recognizing and rewarding the emerging student entrepreneurs who are bringing innovation, enthusiasm, and drive to the world economy. EO is enhancing that commitment with mentorship, which is a key component to supporting emerging entrepreneurs.

EO is partnering with the online mentoring platform MicroMentor to help match the student entrepreneurs with mentors. EO is also expanding the pool of mentors available to the GSEA students and public through a corporate outreach campaign. The program expansion is partially funded by the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE).

A recent Ernst & Young survey,Â Nature or Nurture, cited mentorships as the second most important source of learning (at 26%, just below higher education at 30%) among the factors which provide entrepreneurs with the skills needed to build successful businesses.

The idealÂ criteria for selection of prospective mentoring volunteers is based on experience founding or co-founding a business, or having C-level experience in a company with revenues of more thanÂ US $1 millionÂ per year. The partners are also recruiting skills-based mentors with experience in functional business areas who can help mentees with specific issues, including but not limited to: Accounting and Finance; Human Resources; Financial Resources; Strategy; Marketing; PR and Communications; Social Media; and Technology. Prospective mentor matches for the GSEA finalists will be selected based on the competition finalist pool, and will receive customized training.

“The expansion of the popular and proven EO Mentorship program to include these students from around the world will greatly impact the success of the finalists for at least a year after the competition. We are reaching beyond our own membership to add outside corporate industry experts who have experience that will inspire and guide these future business leaders,” said Dan Heuertz, EO’s Emerging Committee Chair, President and CEO of F & B Partners, and EO Chicago member.

“We identified the growing trend of volunteerism in the corporate environment, and aligned it with an opportunity to engage experienced corporate leaders who offer a wealth of knowledge in mentorships. With this program expansion, EO is offering a value-added program to CSR managers, which provides a triple bottom line of benefits: to the company, the employee, and the student mentee.”